The former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder told talkSPORT: “I'm going to upset Bournemouth fans here because I rate Eddie Howe so highly that if I was a big club, like Chelsea, I would go for him. That big a job.

“I would just let him get on with it, bring through the youth players and do his thing.

“Although he's young and some people might say he's not ready and he's not managed a big club, he's managed successfully and has done brilliantly to get Bournemouth to where they are now.

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The 10 players Antonio Conte could bring to Chelsea

“I would just let him get on with it, bring through the youth players and do his thing”

Danny Murphy

“But it’s not just his tactics and the way he's got Bournemouth playing, it’s also the way he conducts himself and the way he talks.

“He's very well liked, very bright, articulate and he's English. I would certainly give him an opportunity if I was a bigger club.”

Howe led Bournemouth from the League Two relegation zone to the Premier League, via a 22-month spell at Burnley, and has them 13th in the table.

Bournemouth are 13 points clear of the relegation zone and Saturday's 3-2 win at home to Swansea means they can start planning for the 2016/17 campaign.

"I've not enjoyed a moment," Howe confessed after the Swans success.

"Enjoyment's probably the wrong word - there's a satisfaction at the end you can look back and think that was a nice moment in hindsight but when you're in it, in that second, there's too much at stake to really sit back and enjoy it."